Child Safety

OTSEGO COUNTY - The Otsego County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Matt Nowicki are organizing the department's annual drug and safety program for area children. More than 1,000 youngsters ages 5 through 12 will receive educational child safety materials created and geared to each specific age level. The comprehensive program includes safety guidebooks that contain 24 activity pages designed by educators to stimulate the child's awareness and independent thinking skills about the everyday safety and drug hazards they may encounter.

GAYLORD - Infants die every year from sleeping in unsafe environments. Painful as it is for the parents who endure the tragedies, the deaths are made that much more tragic by the fact they are 100 percent preventable. Members of the Otsego County Child Welfare Alliance have made educating the public about “safe sleep” for babies a major focus this year. Manda Breuker, Otsego County chief assistant prosecutor, is president of the alliance. “The alliance's mission is to educate families in Otsego County on how to raise safe, healthy children,” Breuker said.

"With the recent national headlines and attention focused on the kidnapping of young children, we feel it is important that we remind the community of what steps can be taken to keep their children safe," explained Otsego County 911 Director and Emergency Management Coordinator Jay Gliwa. Gliwa and Michigan State Police Gaylord post Commander Lt. Blake Davis, Otsego County Sheriff's Dept. Undersheriff Matt Nowicki, and Gaylord City Police Det. Matt Kinsinger, sat down last Thursday with Gliwa to discuss measures parents can take to help ensure the safety of their children.

Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin is urging parents and caregivers to have their children's safety seats inspected this weekend. From 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Sept. 26, the sheriff's department will be providing certified technicians for an on-site child safety seat inspection and education program at the Richard L. Zink Law Enforcement Center, located at 3460 Harbor Petoskey Road (M-119). Earlier this year, the sheriff's office received a grant from the Office of Highway and Safety Planning to promote child passenger safety in 2009.

Reservations are recommended. To schedule an inspection, call 800-646-4222. Those without reservations will be given the first available opening. During the inspection, AAA employees certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will check: location and angle of seat; installation of seat, harness and other components; security/safety of children in seat; and recall status by make and model year. In addition, child safety seat technicians will provide parents with free information in: how to properly install the seat; how to properly secure your child in the seat; the different types of child safety seats and when to use them; the overall safety belt system; and common mistakes and how to avoid them.

GAYLORD - When Melissa Musgrave, 21, of Gaylord, was involved in a two-vehicle crash a year ago January, the car she was driving was so badly damaged Otsego County EMS/Rescue crews had to use the Jaws of Life to remove the roof of the vehicle to free D. J. Musgrave, her younger brother, who was in the back seat of the vehicle. Another passenger, much smaller than Musgrave's brother, was her 3-month-old daughter Hailey, who was also in the back seat. Fortunately for Hailey, Musgrave had had her daughter securely restrained in a child safety seat.

A Petoskey auto dealership soon will host a free opportunity for parents to find out whether a child safety seat is properly installed in their vehicle. The car seat check event is planned for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Dave Kring Chevrolet-Cadillac on U.S. 31 North. The event is sponsored by the Northwest Michigan chapter of Safe Kids. Each inspection will last about 30 minues per seat. Car seats will be inspected on a first-come, first-served basis, and a thorough inspection requires that children be present.

DEARBORN - In a collaborative effort designed to appeal directly to young children, AAA Michigan and the University of Michigan Program for Injury Research and Education (UMPIRE) have authored a color storybook that promotes booster seat use among child passengers from 4 to 8 years of age. The storybook, "What's Right For Me?" features Sammy the Squirrel, his parents and the Otters - a family of four with both a child safety seat and a booster seat installed in their vehicle. Departing from traditional occupant safety literature, the storybook focuses on the child's point of view regarding comfort, visibility and the excitement of choosing a new booster seat.

GAYLORD ? Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 14 and under. This is mainly due to improper use of child safety seats including the lack of booster seat use. With the proper fit, a booster seat can significantly reduce a child?s risk of injury or death. ?Safety belts are designed to fit adults, not children,? said Darla Edwards, certified child safety seat technician at Otsego Memorial Hospital (OMH). ?As of July 1, the Michigan law is changing to require booster seats for children under eight years of age and under 4-feet-9-inches tall.

OTSEGO COUNTY - Local law enforcement agencies are gearing up for what could be a record number of travelers across the state choosing to drive to their Thanksgiving holiday destinations this year. According to AAA of Michigan, despite a drop in air and vehicle traffic following the Sept. 11 attacks, holiday traffic is expected to experience only a 1.6-percent drop from last year. AAA reports that a record proportion of holiday travelers - more than 87 percent - are choosing to drive.

GAYLORD - Infants die every year from sleeping in unsafe environments. Painful as it is for the parents who endure the tragedies, the deaths are made that much more tragic by the fact they are 100 percent preventable. Members of the Otsego County Child Welfare Alliance have made educating the public about “safe sleep” for babies a major focus this year. Manda Breuker, Otsego County chief assistant prosecutor, is president of the alliance. “The alliance's mission is to educate families in Otsego County on how to raise safe, healthy children,” Breuker said.

OTSEGO COUNTY - The Otsego County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Matt Nowicki are organizing the department's annual drug and safety program for area children. More than 1,000 youngsters ages 5 through 12 will receive educational child safety materials created and geared to each specific age level. The comprehensive program includes safety guidebooks that contain 24 activity pages designed by educators to stimulate the child's awareness and independent thinking skills about the everyday safety and drug hazards they may encounter.

GAYLORD - Car crashes are the leading cause of death in children ages 3 to 14, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The lives of close to 9,000 children were saved by child restrains in the years 1975 to 2008. Made possible by a federal grant to the Michigan State Police, 140 child car seats will be given away to parents in need from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Gaylord Regional Airport The event is a partnership of the Gaylord post of the Michigan State Police (MSP)

A Petoskey auto dealership soon will host a free opportunity for parents to find out whether a child safety seat is properly installed in their vehicle. The car seat check event is planned for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Dave Kring Chevrolet-Cadillac on U.S. 31 North. The event is sponsored by the Northwest Michigan chapter of Safe Kids. Each inspection will last about 30 minues per seat. Car seats will be inspected on a first-come, first-served basis, and a thorough inspection requires that children be present.

GAYLORD - The Otsego County Child Welfare Alliance is sponsoring a Child Safety Seat Inspection on Saturday, March 6. It will be held at the Gaylord City Police Department, 305 E. Main St. from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, the risk of death in car crashes for infants is reduced by 71 percent, and for children age 4 to 7 by 54 percent, by the use of child safety seats. Booster seats reduce injuries by 59 percent compared to safety belts alone.

GAYLORD ? A child safety seat inspection, sponsored by The Otsego County Child Welfare Alliance, will be held Saturday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Jim Wernig Chevrolet on Old 27 South in Gaylord. A limited number of free car seats will be available. Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in car crashes by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers ages 1 to 4. For children ages 4 to 7, booster seats reduce injury risk by 59 percent compared to safety belts alone.

Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin is urging parents and caregivers to have their children's safety seats inspected this weekend. From 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Sept. 26, the sheriff's department will be providing certified technicians for an on-site child safety seat inspection and education program at the Richard L. Zink Law Enforcement Center, located at 3460 Harbor Petoskey Road (M-119). Earlier this year, the sheriff's office received a grant from the Office of Highway and Safety Planning to promote child passenger safety in 2009.

According to national data, highway crashes are the leading cause of death or injury for children, annually. Dave Kring Chevrolet-Cadillac of Petoskey and the Safe Kids Program of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan are stepping up to take action. A free Children's Safety Seat inspection by qualified technicians will be given 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Dave Kring dealership, on U.S. 31 North, 4-and-a-half miles from Petoskey. For an inspection appointment time, call the dealership at 347-2585.

The law in Michigan is changing to keep children safer in and around cars. Current law says children under 4 years of age need to remain in a child restraint, but the new law extends that to children who are not protected adequately by an adult seat belt. On July 1, children between the ages of 4 and 8 who are less than 4 feet 9 inches tall, will be required to use a booster seat while in a vehicle. Jane Sundmacher, from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, supports this new law. "The risk of injury for a 4- to 8-year-old child is reduced by 59 percent when using a child restraint.

GAYLORD ? Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 14 and under. This is mainly due to improper use of child safety seats including the lack of booster seat use. With the proper fit, a booster seat can significantly reduce a child?s risk of injury or death. ?Safety belts are designed to fit adults, not children,? said Darla Edwards, certified child safety seat technician at Otsego Memorial Hospital (OMH). ?As of July 1, the Michigan law is changing to require booster seats for children under eight years of age and under 4-feet-9-inches tall.